2022 Best Colleges in the United States
When pursuing a degree in today's world, there are many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our Top Schools ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
Our analysis looked at 2,576 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best in terms of overall quality. Our ranking methodology focuses on over 20 different objective factors - such as graduation rate, post graduate earnings, and a school's average expenditure per student - to make this determination.
Find out more about our ranking methodology.
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Top Colleges in the United States
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Harvey Mudd College tops this year’s ranking as the best school in the United States for overall quality. Harvey Mudd College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Claremont, California that handed out 218 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 8 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Harvey Mudd College make an average of $88,800 per year during the early years of their career.
A rank of #2 on our Best Colleges in the United States list means Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that handed out 3,715 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The student-to-faculty rate of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from MIT make an average of $104,700 per year during the early years of their career.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #3 in the United States on this year’s overall quality ranking.Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 5,187 students in 2019-2020.
The low student loan default rate of 0.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Stanford make an average of $94,000 per year during the early years of their career.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Presidio Graduate School. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Colleges in the United States list. Presidio Graduate School is located in San Francisco, California and has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 43 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Claremont McKenna College. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Colleges in the United States list. Claremont McKenna College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Claremont, California that handed out 442 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The 4-year grad rate at the school is 77%. That’s impressive when you compare it to the national rate of 33%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Claremont McKenna go into careers with an average salary of $72,900 during the early years of their career.
Dartmouth College did quite well in the 2022 Best Colleges in the United States ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Hanover, New Hampshire, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 2,114 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2019-2020.
The school boasts an average 4-year graduation rate of 86%, which is excellent when compared to the national rate of 33%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth make an average of $75,500 per year during the early years of their career.
University of Chicago landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Colleges in the United States ranking. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 6,000 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 5 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from UChicago go into careers with an average salary of $68,100 during the early years of their career.
Yale University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Colleges in the United States list. Yale University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in New Haven, Connecticut that handed out 4,942 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The 4-year grad rate at the school is 88%. That’s impressive when you compare it to the national rate of 33%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Yale is $83,200 during the early years of their career.
Duke University did quite well in the 2022 Best Colleges in the United States ranking, coming in at #9. Duke University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Durham, North Carolina that handed out 6,686 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The 4-year grad rate at the school is 86%. That’s impressive when you compare it to the national rate of 33%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Duke make an average of $84,400 per year during the early years of their career.
Harvard University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the United States ranking. Harvard is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8,358 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
With a student-to-faculty rate of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. During the early years of their career, graduates from Harvard make an average of $89,700 a year.
Pomona College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Colleges in the United States list. Pomona is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California. It awarded 466 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The impressive student-to-faculty rate of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Pomona make an average of $58,100 per year during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #12, Princeton University did quite well on the 2022 Best Colleges in the United States list. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Princeton, New Jersey, and it awarded 2,188 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The 4-year grad rate at the school is 90%. That’s impressive when you compare it to the national rate of 33%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Princeton make an average of $74,700 per year during the early years of their career.
University of Pennsylvania came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the United States ranking. UPenn is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It awarded 9,795 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The student-to-faculty rate of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from UPenn make an average of $85,900 per year during the early years of their career.
Northwestern University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Colleges in the United States list. Northwestern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8,580 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern is $69,000 during the early years of their career.
University of Notre Dame ranked #15 on this year’s Best Colleges in the United States list. University of Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Notre Dame, Indiana that handed out 4,484 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The low student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% During the early years of their career, graduates from Notre Dame make an average of $78,400 a year.
Cornell University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Colleges in the United States ranking. Located in Ithaca, New York, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 8,245 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The low student loan default rate of 1.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% During the early years of their career, graduates from Cornell make an average of $77,200 a year.
California Institute of Technology came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the United States ranking. Caltech is located in Pasadena, California and has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 454 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The low student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Caltech make an average of $85,900 per year during the early years of their career.
Georgetown University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Colleges in the United States ranking. Georgetown is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Washington, District of Columbia. It awarded 7,451 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown is $93,500 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #19, Johns Hopkins University did quite well on the 2022 Best Colleges in the United States list. This large private not-for-profit school is located in Baltimore, Maryland, and it awarded 9,265 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
With a student-to-faculty rate of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. During the early years of their career, graduates from Johns Hopkins make an average of $73,200 a year.
Carnegie Mellon University did quite well in the 2022 Best Colleges in the United States ranking, coming in at #20. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 5,414 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Carnegie Mellon is $83,600 during the early years of their career.
Scripps College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the United States ranking. Scripps is a private not-for-profit institution located in Claremont, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 274 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The school boasts an average 4-year graduation rate of 86%, which is excellent when compared to the national rate of 33%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Scripps make an average of $54,100 per year during the early years of their career.
Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well in the 2022 Best Colleges in the United States ranking, coming in at #22. Columbia is a large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 13,628 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 99%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Columbia is $83,300 during the early years of their career.
Williams College landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Colleges in the United States ranking.Williamstown, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 818 students in 2019-2020.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Williams is $59,000 during the early years of their career.
Brown University did quite well in the 2022 Best Colleges in the United States ranking, coming in at #24. Brown is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Providence, Rhode Island. It awarded 3,269 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. During the early years of their career, graduates from Brown make an average of $67,500 a year.
Rice University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the United States ranking. Rice is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 2,318 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The 4-year grad rate at the school is 80%. That’s impressive when you compare it to the national rate of 33%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $65,400 during the early years of their career..
Rest of the Top 50 Best Colleges in the United States
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Narrow Colleges by Region
Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in the United States
To learn more about the schools below, just click on their names:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Wellesley College | Wellesley, MA |
| 52 | The University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX |
| 53 | New York University | New York, NY |
| 54 | Colby College | Waterville, ME |
| 55 | Trinity College | Hartford, CT |
| 56 | Wake Forest University | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 57 | Lehigh University | Bethlehem, PA |
| 58 | Northeastern University | Boston, MA |
| 59 | Santa Clara University | Santa Clara, CA |
| 60 | Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary | Wake Forest, NC |
| 61 | Bates College | Lewiston, ME |
| 62 | Villanova University | Villanova, PA |
| 63 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC |
| 64 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Worcester, MA |
| 65 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Troy, NY |
All Majors and Fields of Study >
Honorable Mentions
These schools also performed well in our Best Colleges ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 388 | California State Polytechnic University - Pomona | Pomona, CA |
| 389 | Whitman College | Walla Walla, WA |
| 390 | San Diego State University | San Diego, CA |
| 391 | Santa Fe College | Gainesville, FL |
| 391 | Loyola University Chicago | Chicago, IL |
| 393 | Hunter College | New York, NY |
| 394 | Napa Valley College | Napa, CA |
| 395 | University of Mary Washington | Fredericksburg, VA |
| 396 | Cochise County Community College District | Sierra Vista, AZ |
| 397 | St. John Fisher College | Rochester, NY |
| 398 | San Antonio College | San Antonio, TX |
| 399 | The University of Texas at Arlington | Arlington, TX |
| 400 | Juniata College | Huntingdon, PA |
| 401 | Santa Rosa Junior College | Santa Rosa, CA |
| 402 | Washington & Jefferson College | Washington, PA |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 403 | California State University - Fullerton | Fullerton, CA |
| 404 | Bunker Hill Community College | Boston, MA |
| 405 | Grand Valley State University | Allendale, MI |
| 406 | University of Oklahoma Norman Campus | Norman, OK |
| 407 | Bradley University | Peoria, IL |
| 408 | Oregon Institute of Technology | Klamath Falls, OR |
| 409 | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | Slippery Rock, PA |
| 410 | Sacred Heart University | Fairfield, CT |
| 411 | Howard Community College | Columbia, MD |
| 412 | Carroll University | Waukesha, WI |
| 413 | University of Northwestern Ohio | Lima, OH |
| 414 | Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte | Charlotte, NC |
| 415 | Coastline Community College | Fountain Valley, CA |
| 416 | Saint Vincent College | Latrobe, PA |
| 417 | Minnesota State University - Mankato | Mankato, MN |
| 418 | Texas State Technical College | Waco, TX |
| 419 | William Rainey Harper College | Palatine, IL |
| 420 | University of Kansas | Lawrence, KS |
| 421 | Allegheny College | Meadville, PA |
| 422 | Central Piedmont Community College | Charlotte, NC |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 423 | Adelphi University | Garden City, NY |
| 424 | Miami Dade College | Miami, FL |
| 425 | Union County College | Cranford, NJ |
| 426 | Linfield University - McMinnville Campus | McMinnville, OR |
| 427 | University of California - Riverside | Riverside, CA |
| 428 | National University | La Jolla, CA |
| 429 | Loras College | Dubuque, IA |
| 430 | Los Angeles Harbor College | Wilmington, CA |
| 431 | Temple University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 432 | Simpson College | Indianola, IA |
| 433 | The University of Tennessee - Knoxville | Knoxville, TN |
| 434 | Sarah Lawrence College | Bronxville, NY |
| 435 | University of Rhode Island | Kingston, RI |
| 436 | Oregon State University | Corvallis, OR |
| 437 | Lake Forest College | Lake Forest, IL |
| 438 | University at Albany | Albany, NY |
| 439 | University of South Florida - Main Campus | Tampa, FL |
| 440 | Butte College | Oroville, CA |
| 441 | El Camino College | Torrance, CA |
| 442 | Taylor University | Upland, IN |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 443 | Saint Francis University | Loretto, PA |
| 444 | MTI College | Sacramento, CA |
| 445 | Riverside City College | Riverside, CA |
| 446 | University of Nevada - Reno | Reno, NV |
| 447 | Susquehanna University | Selinsgrove, PA |
| 448 | The King’s College | New York, NY |
| 449 | Illinois Institute of Technology | Chicago, IL |
| 450 | University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point | Stevens Point, WI |
| 451 | Virginia Commonwealth University | Richmond, VA |
| 452 | Prince George’s Community College | Largo, MD |
| 453 | Essex County College | Newark, NJ |
| 454 | Shenandoah University | Winchester, VA |
| 455 | Nevada State College | Henderson, NV |
| 456 | Nebraska Wesleyan University | Lincoln, NE |
| 457 | Shoreline Community College | Shoreline, WA |
| 458 | Georgia College & State University | Milledgeville, GA |
| 459 | Hamline University | Saint Paul, MN |
| 460 | Pacific Union College | Angwin, CA |
| 461 | John Paul the Great Catholic University | Escondido, CA |
| 462 | Mt. San Antonio College | Walnut, CA |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 463 | Le Moyne College | Syracuse, NY |
| 464 | Wartburg College | Waverly, IA |
| 465 | St Catherine University | Saint Paul, MN |
| 466 | Pacific Lutheran University | Tacoma, WA |
| 466 | The University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, AL |
| 468 | Central Texas College | Killeen, TX |
| 469 | Blinn College | Brenham, TX |
| 470 | Southwestern University | Georgetown, TX |
| 471 | Brazosport College | Lake Jackson, TX |
| 472 | SUNY Empire State College | Saratoga Springs, NY |
| 473 | Cascadia College | Bothell, WA |
| 474 | California State University - Sacramento | Sacramento, CA |
| 475 | University of North Texas | Denton, TX |
| 476 | San Jacinto Community College | Pasadena, TX |
| 477 | Farmingdale State College | Farmingdale, NY |
| 478 | John F. Kennedy University | Pleasant Hill, CA |
| 479 | Xavier University | Cincinnati, OH |
| 480 | College of Saint Mary | Omaha, NE |
| 481 | Harding University | Searcy, AR |
| 482 | University of Oregon | Eugene, OR |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 483 | University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT |
| 484 | Antioch University - Los Angeles | Culver City, CA |
| 484 | Southeast Technical College | Sioux Falls, SD |
| 486 | Augsburg University | Minneapolis, MN |
| 487 | University of Arizona | Tucson, AZ |
| 488 | University of Denver | Denver, CO |
| 489 | Biola University | La Mirada, CA |
| 490 | University of St Francis | Joliet, IL |
| 491 | University of North Carolina at Wilmington | Wilmington, NC |
| 492 | Normandale Community College | Bloomington, MN |
| 493 | University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, AR |
| 494 | Oklahoma State University - Main Campus | Stillwater, OK |
| 495 | California State University - Northridge | Northridge, CA |
| 496 | DeSales University | Center Valley, PA |
| 497 | College of San Mateo | San Mateo, CA |
| 498 | Texas State University | San Marcos, TX |
| 499 | Fitchburg State University | Fitchburg, MA |
| 500 | Willamette University | Salem, OR |
| 501 | Seattle Pacific University | Seattle, WA |
| 502 | Suffolk University | Boston, MA |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 503 | Stockton University | Galloway, NJ |
| 504 | Portland Community College | Portland, OR |
| 505 | The College of Wooster | Wooster, OH |
| 506 | Anne Arundel Community College | Arnold, MD |
| 507 | Webster University | Saint Louis, MO |
| 508 | State Technical College of Missouri | Linn, MO |
| 509 | Merrimack College | North Andover, MA |
| 510 | Arcadia University | Glenside, PA |
| 511 | Messiah University | Mechanicsburg, PA |
| 512 | Queens College | Queens, NY |
| 513 | Lee College | Baytown, TX |
| 514 | McDaniel College | Westminster, MD |
| 515 | California Lutheran University | Thousand Oaks, CA |
| 516 | Appalachian State University | Boone, NC |
More Nationwide Rankings
Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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